


Transatlantic Vineyard

by CARCINOG3N3TIC



Series: Transatlantic Vineyard [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, Best Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Human AU, Humanstuck, Meowrails, Nepeta Leijon/Equius Zahhak Matesprits, Sign Language, background davekat, background davesolkat, jokes about star signs, kurloz is mute, mentions of equius/aradia, meulin and kurloz maybe get together?, muelin is deaf, nep and equius are best friends, no 7/11 clerks were harmed in the writing of this fic, poc characters, updated tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23075944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CARCINOG3N3TIC/pseuds/CARCINOG3N3TIC
Summary: after a summer spent with his best friend, Equius has come to the realization that he's in love with her. after many trials and tribulations, the pair might eventually get together.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nepeta Leijon/Equius Zahhak, SolKat, background davekat - Relationship, davesolkat, kurloz and mituna background
Series: Transatlantic Vineyard [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1658476
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	1. You’re The only beauty I Don’t Want To Strangle.

The day Equius Zahhak realised he was in love with Nepeta was a cold and rainy day. The tiny girl was asleep on his lap, occasionally letting out a small purr. Despite desperately needing to relieve himself he stayed still, adamant in his refusal to move. He stayed in that position, occasionally checking his phone, but staying mostly still, his eyes closed.  
When Nepeta finally woke up, Equius excused himself to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, having relieved himself, he stared at himself in the mirror. He thought for a minute about the girl in the next room, pausing a few times to wash the sweat from his palms.  
He coughed before walking back to his bedroom, Nepeta curled up on the end of his bed, snoring softly surrounded by laundry he’d forgotten to put away. He knew from times she’d tried them on as a joke that his shirts came past her thighs. He wondered how she’d feel knowing she could take whatever she wanted from his closet at any time.

He sat on his bed, trying as hard as he could to sit down softly. Despite his best efforts, Nepeta felt the mattress move beneath her as he sat down. She arched her back and made a noise that sounded halfway between being a whine or a moan. She noticed a red hue coming over Equius’ tan face. She stretched and crawled back onto Equius’ lap.  
“Nepeta, you will get off of me at once.” he said, an authoritative tone taking hold of his words.  
“You know Equius? I think I might just take another cat nap right here.” she smiled up at him.  
“Nepeta, i think not, now remove yourself from my lap this instant.” he looked down at the olive skinned girl, curled in his lap. After a few more futile attempts to convince her to remove herself from her place in his lap he simply let his head roll back as his eyes closed, thoughts running wild through his head. 

Equius slowed to a stop and lifted the bottom of his shirt to his face, wiping the sweat off his face. The crunch of plastic and heavy gulps were loud in the otherwise silent room. He preferred it much better when he worked out in silence. It gave him time to think, to consider. He mulled over his recent interactions with Nepeta, sorting them into their own folders.  
He went upstairs to his bathroom and began showering. Once finished, he wrapped his towel around his waist and walked down the hall to his bedroom. He walked over to his desk and checked his phone, a few notifications presented themselves to him but he skimmed past them, his eyes resting on the text he’d received from her. He opened it and was greeted with an image of Nepeta and her older sister Meulin, sitting beside a pool. Nepeta was wearing an old shirt he’d given her whilst cleaning out his closet a year ago whilst her sister wore something a little more scandalous. The caption simply read “I wish u were here.” Equius sent back a quick reply and smiled to himself.

Equius arrived at the Leijon household somewhere after four pm. After spending an hour swimming around and occasionally throwing Nepeta into the pool he sat down on the edge, his legs in the water as he leaned back. His glasses shielding his eyes from the sun. he was happy and content. He looked down at the water, watching Nepeta as she made her way up and down to each end of the pool, she’d been doing laps for a while now.  
Meulin leaned out of the doorway and let out a shrill whistle that caught the attention of Nepeta and Equius. She began signing rapidly though Equius could only pick up a few words.  
After finishing and helping to clean up after dinner, Equius sat on the floor of his best friend’s bedroom, Nepeta sat behind him, her slim fingers combing through his thick hair and parting it. He relaxed against the feeling and let out a soft breath. She tapped him softly on the head to let him know she’d finished doing his hair. He smiled up at her. She laid on her back, her head and shoulders off the bed. She looked Equius in the eye and winked. He grabbed her awkwardly and dragged her onto his lap. She looked at him in surprise before letting out what could be called a soft purr. He picked up the controller for her console and put on a random movie as he held her. She settled into his lap and got comfortable, wrapping her arms around him. He kissed her softly on her forehead and continued watching the fantasy film they’d seen many times over. He was happy. He felt safe with her and he knew he was one of the only people the girl felt she could be herself around. 

After finishing the move and beginning another, he looked down at the girl in his lap snoring softly. A warm feeling ran through him and he pulled her closer. She tangled her hands in his shirt, pulling herself as close to him as she could. Several hours passed and she woke up. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at his face. She took his glasses off slowly in hope to not wake him and put them on the sideboard. With this slow but sudden movement, his arms made their way around her waist and pulled her back into him. She smiled. He let out a contented sigh,  
“I love you.” he muttered, still fast asleep. She blushed and looked up at him, giving him a soft kiss on the closest patch of bare skin she could find and said the same back. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be lulled to sleep by his breaths. 

Sunlight streamed lazily through the gaps in her blinds and she woke up, colder than she’d been before and in her bed alone. She heard soft clattering from the kitchen downstairs. She stood and stretched lazily, before padding over to her closet and pulling on the only hoodie she owned. She breathed in the smell softly and decided to give it back to Equius soon. 

Downstairs, Equius stood in the middle of the cramped kitchen. He made some coffee before beginning to make breakfast for his friends. He cracked some eggs into a bowl and whisked. He pulled a pan out of a cupboard and set it on the stove. After gathering a handful of ingredients and the butter from the fridge, he began making an omelette for both girls. After cutting up some peppers, onions and mushrooms he sauteed them in the pan with garlic. Once he’d finished he put the fried ingredients in a bowl and put the eggs in the re buttered pan. He focused so heavily on making the eggs that he didn't see his best friend’s sister wander down the stairs. She sat down at her benchtop and watched the boy making eggs. She yawned and startled him a little with the sudden noise. He waved back at her, spatula in his hand, covered in egg. Having finished the eggs he cut it in half and put one half on the plates he’d prepared. He began making Meulin her coffee the way she liked it. Two sugars, no cream. He nodded and handed her the finished product before taking a sip of his own.


	2. Control Your Temper.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of conflict at the 7/11 occurs and our pair make their way to a slamming party.

School had recently taken a break for the pair and Equius often found himself looking for things to do when Nepeta was busy with her sister. He’d recently begun working with his older brother in a workshop downtown. Whilst making money he found he was also having fun. He spent the majority of his days under the belly of cars, fixing what was wrong, tweaking things. Making them all just a little better. His brother Horuss spent more of his time fixing smaller slightly more delicate things such as laptops and phones, occasionally dabbling in programming when he felt like it. 

After a particularly sweaty day of helping Horuss out, Equius made his way back home, his cobalt jumpsuit tied around his waist. He walked the short few blocks home before stretching and entering his home. He closed his door a little harder than he hoped and let out a little fiddlesticks. He made his way upstairs and began showering. He peeled off his jumpsuit and pulled off the wife beater he wore beneath. He pulled off his boxers and stepped into the cool shower. He stood there a minute basking in the water, letting it run over him. He began scrubbing the grease and grit off himself. Far too focused on getting clean, he didn’t hear the door open, nor did he see the small girl dressed in olive enter. She walked up to the shower door and knocked on it, looking up at him innocently. He turned and looked, before turning back to continue his shower before realizing that Nepeta was watching him shower.  
“Equius.” the way she said his name as if it was dripping honey. He blushed before telling her to exit immediately.  
“Oh Equius, it’s not like I haven't seen it all before.” she was right, they’d taken baths together as kids, but that had stopped well before they’d turned ten. He yelled once again and she waved him off, before exiting the bathroom in a huff. He finished washing his hair before exiting the shower. He wrapped his towel around his waist and walked down the hall to his bedroom. Nepeta was sprawled over his bed finding her phone to be far more interesting. He pulled a pair of underwear from his drawers, putting them on under the towel. He dropped the towel to the floor and began looking for a pair of shorts. After finding them he stepped into them and turned to look at Nepeta, picking the towel up to dry his hair.  
“What was that stunt in the shower Nepeta?” He was not amused.  
“Oh calm down, I've seen uglier. Besides, you weren't answering your phone, and I was in the neighborhood.” Meulin must have been visiting those oddball juggalos down the street again.  
“Doesn't give you the excuse to break into my bathroom.” she shrugged before scooting over so he could lay next to her. He looked over at her before throwing his towel onto his desk chair. He sighed and closed his eyes, resting his hands on his chest, running through the things he’d fixed today.  
“Eq, you’re not mad at me right?” he opened an eye and looked at her. He shook his head slightly and she let out a soft purr.  
“You will not do it again.” she nodded before resting her head comfortably on his arm.  
“Those juggalos really creep me out.” he nodded, a little more focused on the weight of her head on his bicep.  
“The really tall one, Gamzee? He yelled at me as I was leaving, I'm not sure what he said but he’s so seedy.” Equius moved his arm to pull her into a one armed hug.  
“If he decides to bother you again, I’ll feed him his teeth.” she nodded, before nuzzling into his chest. The pair lay there for a while, both stuck in their own little world.  
“So what was so important you just had to break into my bathroom whilst I was showering huh?”  
She looked up at him and let out a soft yawn.  
“OH! Karkitty decided to throw a party, and I decided you absolutely had to come with me. You’ve been at work so much and I wanted to hang out with you.” he nodded before sliding out from under her and standing.  
“I suppose i will. What time is this party?” he glanced at the clock on his bedside drawer before his gaze flickered to his half opened blinds. The sunlight was struggling to fall through.  
“I think he said it started around nine?” she went back to being sprawled all over his bed, her olive bomber jacket pulled around her. He nodded before sitting down at his desk. 

After an innumerable amount of videos Nepeta absolutely had to watch with him, he stood up and stretched, several bones in his back popping. He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a simple t-shirt. He pulled the shirt on and followed it up with a simple Sagittarius hoodie. Nepeta had gotten it for his birthday and he found he wore it often, when she hadn’t decided to borrow it. He changed out of his shorts into a simple pair of black jeans and walked to his bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror. His reflection blinked back at him. He ran a brush through his hair before getting fed up with it and pulling it into a simple low bun. He exited the bathroom and stood by the stairs.  
“Nepeta, let’s go, didn't you say there were some things you wanted before we arrived?”  
Nep left his bedroom after changing her shirt for one of his tank tops. She shrugged her jacket back on and nodded.  
“Let’s make like a baby.” he shook his head and the pair entered the garage after having grabbed Equius's keys. As the garage door opened, Nepeta plugged her phone in and began playing an upbeat playlist. As they pulled out he looked her over once and simply smiled. She sat happily in the front seat of the truck, tapping along to the music on the dashboard. He pulled into the parking lot of the 7/11 and turned off his car.  
“Come on, You’re not the dancing queen yet.” she made a face at his remark and glared at him.  
She grabbed hold of his hand, swinging it wildly as they entered the store.  
“Knew you couldn’t stay too mad at me.” he muttered. She let go of his hand and rushed off to get an absurd list of energy drinks Sollux had asked them to get. Equius grabbed several bags of chips and some dips. He walked up to the counter and dropped the bag before asking for two large slurpee cups. Nepeta returned, her arms almost overflowing with the ridiculously sweet and overly caffeinated beverages. She set them on the counter and looked at the two cups. Equius nodded and she grabbed them before scampering off.  
“Is she your sister?” the bored looking clerk asked.  
“No.” he answered simply.  
“Girlfriend?” Equius shook his head. Nepeta returned with the two slurpees and Equius grabbed the bags. They exited the store.  
“Hey, nice ass.” the clerk yelled as they left the store. Equius stopped. Nepeta was bright red and looked incredibly uncomfortable. He turned around and entered the store. The clerk was a whole foot shorter than the boy and had to look up at him.  
“What did you say?” the clerk gulped, he saw the way the taller boy’s muscles moved smoothly beneath his skin.  
“If I have to repeat myself I will make sure you won’t be able to find any of your teeth, what did you say?” he snarled as he glared down at the clerk, who was visibly shaking like a leaf.  
“I-I said ni-nice ass.” equius let out a soft growl.  
“And why the fuck did you say that?” the clerk shrugged visibly scared. Nepeta entered the store, seeing her best friend standing over the clerk. She grabbed his arm.  
“Equius, let’s go.” he glared at the clerk once more before they left. They walked back to his truck. He handed the bags to Nepeta and gripped the steering wheel. She continued to play music as they drove to Karkat’s. Once they had parked across the street they made their way into the house. Music dripping out of it lazily, the pulsing beat in time with the lights. Sollux’s doing. They hit the living room and said quick hello’s before Equius branched off into the kitchen to set down the bags and grab a glass of water. He leaned against the sink before Karkat’s insufferable boyfriend entered the kitchen obviously seeking him out. Dave Strider, the obvious cool kid of the group, sauntered over to him and took an obvious note of the beverage in his hand.  
“Sober driver? Nice nice, cool cool cool. So I uhh, I heard you almost murdered a 7/11 employee huh? What the fuck happened there?”  
“He yelled a derogatory comment as we left the store, I simply turned around to remind him of his manners.”  
“What’d he do? Like hit on your girlfriend or something? That’s kinda understandable. What’d he say?”  
“He yelled nice ass as we left.”  
“Well I mean, you both have absolutely slamming asses, like holy fucking shit dude. Finer asses have never been seen. Those are globes, planets. You’re both walking around with solar systems behind you god damn.” Equius let out a growl, the hand around the glass of water tightening.  
“Woah, woah. I’ll refrain from commenting on both you and your girl’s asses. Chill big guy.”  
“She’s not my girlfriend.” he muttered under his breath.  
“Yo what?”  
“I said, she isn’t my girlfriend.” he exited the kitchen, seeking her out, needing the calm feeling she wrapped around him like a quilt.

He stood beside her, her arm woven around his waist, she swayed steadily against him, watching the game of beer pong being played in front of them.  
“Hey, Equius, you overgrown asswipe.”  
“Hello Karkat.”  
“I heard about the whole 7/11 thing. And the Dave thing. I’m sorry for my idiot boyfriend’s stupid behavior. Anyway, if you don’t mind I’d like to see my boyfriend kick my other boyfriend’s ass.”  
He stood in front of the pair watching Dave and Sollux go at each other in a heated game of beer pong. He felt a tug on his sweater and looked down.  
“I gotta pee. Ac gotta pee. Means ya gotta come with” Nepeta giggled. She pulled him along behind her, tugging on his hoodie.


	3. I want to get all fucked up and tell you how I really feel.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party goes on. a new stranger makes herself known and equius is left a little flustered.

After following Nepeta to the bathroom and standing guard at the door, Equius made his way over to the dining room table where various different alcoholic beverages sat waiting. He grabbed something that smelt vaguely sweet and poured a decent amount into the solo cup he held. He poured half an energy drink into the cup and shook it a little to stir it before sipping some of the liquid left in the can and heading off to find Nepeta.

He found her sitting on Karkat’s lap, the pair of them talking about the couples in their friend groups and celebrity pairings they both liked. He handed the beverage to her and laid down on the futon beside them. He occasionally sat up to drink his drink but ultimately just laid there with his eyes closed, listening to the music as it played around them. After a while of listening to Nepeta and Karkat talking he decided to go get another drink and maybe head outside. 

He grabbed another energy drink and exited the house, he heard a couple on the porch having a heated conversation and ignored them as he made his way to his truck. He opened the passenger side door and checked his glove box, fumbling around for the pack of cigarettes and blue lighter he kept in there. He pulled a cigarette out of the carton before closing it and placing it in the pocket of his sweater. He lit up as he walked back to the house and stood by the front porch, taking in a deep lungful of the smoke. He exhaled and sighed. He continued taking drags of the cigarette before dropping it to the floor and stubbing the now finished smoke out. He bent over to pick up the butt and carried inside with him. He opened the beverage he had forgotten he’d grabbed and made his way to the bin in Karkat’s kitchen and dropped the butt into the trash. 

He sat outside on a couch in front of a glass table surrounded by a group playing some sort of card game.  
“Ah ha! Suck on that fuckers.” you could tell by the odd accent and the lisp that it was Sollux. He leaned forward and took a look at the cards of the girl sitting beside him. He held a lit cigarette in his mouth and pointed to the joker in her hand.  
“You should play that one, demolish everyone.” she looked at him with a puzzled expression and smiled at him. He smiled back around the cigarette. He held out his hand.  
“I’m Equius.” she looked at his hand and then shook it.  
“Aradia.” he gave her a warm smile as she shook his hand and leaned back. The glow of the patio light made it look like she had a golden glow around her. She played the card he told her to and won the round. He looked at her properly, noticing how her dark hair had a red tinge. The curve of her eyes suggested that she wasn’t white. He took in what she was wearing, the way her skirt fell over her thighs. Her shirt had the logo of a band he’d never heard of but would be sure to look up. He got up and stretched. He stepped over the couch and walked himself inside. He saw Dave and some dark haired boy engaged in what looked like a heated kiss. He shook it off and went off to find Nepeta. He walked up the stairs, weaving through crowds and looking for a glimpse of olive. He found himself unlucky and walked out to the front porch. The couple that had been arguing had disappeared. He sat down on the step and checked his phone.

Nep: Heyyyyyy, equihisssss.  
Nep: mr big man. Where are uuuuu??? :3  
Eq: Out front, Porch.  
Nep: oooo!!!

He put his phone away and took out another cigarette. He sat holding it in his hand, staring at the floor. He felt a weight on his back and saw a small hand take it from his hand. He held out his lit lighter as Nepeta sat beside him. She held the cigarette over the flame and sucked in the smoke, closing her eyes as she breathed in. He gave her a soft half smile and went back to staring out on the street. She leaned herself against him and sighed.  
“You ready to head out?” he asked her gently. She shook her head before standing. She dropped her cigarette and stubbed it beneath her boot. She grabbed his hand and made a wobbly attempt to pull him up. He got up and allowed her to pull him inside. He followed behind her to the living room. She pulled him close and began to dance. He stood still for a moment before going along with it. He danced with her, letting the music guide him. He stopped when he saw the pretty girl he’d sat next to out the back. He made a tired face at Nepeta and gestured to the couch. She nodded and continued dancing. He wandered through the small crowd dancing and sat on the couch beside the girl. She noticed him and flashed a smile before going back to talking to the boy beside her.  
“Well, i mean, collecting dead things isn't the worst habit i could have you know?”  
“AA, that doesn't change that it’s still kinda disturbing.” Sollux grimaced. His dark hair wet with sweat, falling into his eyes. He was leaning against the arm of the couch with the air of almost arrogant confidence. His gangly legs lazily crossed.  
“Oh, hey EQ. Enjoying the party?” Equius gave him a nod and went to say something to the girl beside him before closing his mouth and thinking otherwise. He made a gesture to his drink and got up to go back into the dining room. He grabbed a non-alcoholic beverage out of the cooler left beside the table and went back into the dancing mess of people in the living room. He danced some more with Nepeta who seemed a lot more inebriated than she was before. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the crowd to the kitchen. He grabbed a glass of water and motioned for her to drink it. She pulled herself onto the counter and sipped at the water as she babbled to him about how much fun she was having. He nodded along and made affirming noises where appropriate before suggesting they leave soon. She nodded and he chugged the rest of his beverage.  
“Hey, strong man?”  
“Yes Nepeta?” she let out a quiet hiccup before grasping at him with her hands. He shook his head before turning his back to her. She giggled as she pulled herself onto his back. He piggybacked her out to his truck and set her down in front of the passenger side door. She struggled a little to get in before pulling herself up. He walked to the drivers side and entered the truck and started it. She had her head hanging forward, her eyes closed. Seat Belt pulled lazily over her he pulled it and clipped her in. She was obviously in no shape to get into her own house so he let his mind drift as he made his way almost robotically home. He stopped in the garage and killed the engine. He pulled her gently out of the seat and carried her into the house. After making his way upstairs he set her down on his bed before taking his belongings out of his pockets and setting them on his dresser. He did the same to Nepeta and pulled off his sweater and shirt. He changed his jeans for a pair of sweatpants and took off Nepeta's shoes and jacket. He turned out the light and laid himself beside her. Pulling her close like they used to as kids. He fell into a heavy sleep.

The soft morning light made Nepeta wince. She untangled herself from him before getting out of bed. Her head pounded and she stumbled to his bathroom. She searched the cabinets for a painkiller of some sort. She washed it down with water from the sink and began to brush her teeth, using Equius’s toothbrush. She made her way downstairs and put on a pot of coffee, leaving the room entrenched in shadows, the windows providing a small amount of light.

Equius woke up disoriented and a little cold. He stretched and got out of bed. His bladder screamed at him. He shuffled to his bathroom sleepily and took care of his business. He washed his hands before making his way downstairs where he could smell the coffee Nepeta had put on. She looked a little ragged, a feral glint in her eye. She gave him a tired smile over the rim of her mug. The two of them drank their beverages, refilling till the coffee ran out, in a comfortable silence. She let out a purr as she stretched and hopped down from the bench top. She checked her watch.  
“Shit! I gotta get home. Meulin has a thing she wants me to go to with her.” she ran upstairs to grab her stuff and Equius grabbed his keys. He was pulling on a coat as Nepeta made her way downstairs, her boots in hand. Equius held up his keys and they made their way into the garage. 

After driving Nepeta home, Equius went home to get ready for work. He dressed and made his way, walking the few short blocks to his workplace. He punched in and began working. The mindless chatter of his workmates and the tinny sound of the radio in the shop made for a nice ambience. He stepped out on his lunch break lighting a cigarette and taking quick drags. After finishing it, he made his way to the subway down the street and picked up lunch for himself and his workmates. He meandered back to the workshop. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the pretty girl from the party. He thought about Nep. He shook his head. If it was going to go anywhere, it would have happened. He decided to test his luck and headed over to the girl.  
“Hey, can I help you?” he asked. He turned, a little startled. She softened when she realized it was him.  
“Oh! Hey. Equius right? We met last night.” he nodded.  
“Hey, I gotta get this stuff to the boys inside, but I promise I'll be right back.” he blushed as he entered the workshop.  
He handed out the subs and put his in the workshop fridge amongst the various beers kept there for after work drinks.  
“Hey, there was this chick looking for you.” Cronus said.  
“Not sure why though, she’s way out of your league buddy.” Equius glared at him before walking out to her.  
“Sorry for that, what can I help you with?” she smiled at him, one foot kind of just scratching over the concrete. She was dressed in a short and pretty little summer dress this time. The red in her dark hair glinting in the sun.  
“Oh, I just came by this way. I was actually hoping to catch you. I was wondering if maybe you’d wanna come see this totally cool gig playing thursday night. Sol told me we have a similar taste in music so I thought why not ya know?” he nodded, a little stunned. She was so cute. And she was asking him out. Him. Out. Asking him. To hang out with her. To go to a gig.  
“Ye-yeah. That sounds really cool. I’ll have to check my schedule. Sounds like fun.” she smiled as he blushed.  
“Oh. Well cool. Sounds like a plan then.” She gave him one last look before walking off. He watched as she left. A little shocked.  
“Wait! I don’t have a-” he cut himself off as she walked out of view. Oh dear. What was he going to do?


	4. Cotton Candy Skies.

After being dropped home, Nepeta walked briskly into her bathroom. After showering off the previous night she wrapped herself in a towel and went into her room. She got dressed quickly before entering her kitchen. She waved at Meulin and began making a cup of tea.   
“So what is it we’re doing today?” she asked her sister. Her sister looked a little confused for a second before signing back rapidly.  
“I need your help. Kurloz invited me to this thing with his friends and none of my stuff seems, i don't know, appropriate?” she looked a little forlorn.  
“Kurloz?” Nep wasn't at all sure who that was.  
“Oh you know the big tall one? The really lanky one with the piercings.” she looked even more confused and Meulin pulled up a photo of a long haired boy with multiple facial piercings and what looked like face paint? She nodded and smiled at her sister.   
“So, what kind of event are we talking? Something lowkey like a house party? Maybe a formal event?”   
“He said it was like a rave or something?” Nepeta nodded. She knew a place.   
After spending several hours in different stores, the girls had a few shopping bags each filled with various types of makeup, clothing and hair accessories. She didn't need any jewelry, she had plenty of kandi she’d made her own. 

After having showered, Meulin sat in front of her sister. Armed with a hairdryer and brush Nepeta began teasing and styling her sister’s hair. She put a few brightly coloured extensions in her hair and stepped back. She looked good. Her light brown hair was wavy, little strands of blues and purples streaking through. Nepeta then set herself up for make up. After making up her sister’s face she finally let her look at herself in the mirror before going into her closet and picking out an outfit. She pulled out the big boots her sister had had since she was a sophomore. She grabbed the purple fishnets they’d bought together and a short black skirt. The top she’d chosen was a black off the shoulder affair, almost translucent. A green lace bra strap almost visible under the shirt. As her sister got dressed Nepeta began texting Equius to see what his plans were for the evening but received no replies. She sighed and wished her sister good luck before retreating into the comfort of her bedroom. She lazed on a beanbag for a while, occasionally checking her texts. She scrolled through social media before stopping and swiping back onto Equius’ snapchat story. He was at some kind of show. She could hear his voice, deep and steady, singing along in the background as the grainy video showed a man on stage. So he was at a gig. Without her. She tried not to think about it but it kind of stung. That was usually their thing. They’d spend their time together at shows, or in each other’s rooms. They always hung out together. She shook the thought out of her head. 

She thought about calling Karkat. She tried not to, she really did. He answered the phone to the sound of her crying. After calming her down and asking her what was up she gulped and spoke to him.  
“KK, i have a problem.”  
“I mean, obviously. You don't really call me crying unless that happens.”  
“Oh shut up. You’re being prickly mister.” she sighed. She could hear the sounds of Karkat’s house in the background. Somewhere in the background Dave was playing video games. She could hear soft music.  
“Oh god, did I interrupt something?” she asked, a little late.  
“What? Oh no. not at all. Sol is asleep and Dave is yelling at twelve year olds online again.”  
“TAKE THAT MOTHERFUCKER.”  
“Hi Dave.”  
“Hey asshole, Nepeta says hi. Anyways, what’s up? You called me.”  
“Oh, god. It’s kind of dumb. Kk what do you do when you think you might have feelings for someone but you don’t know because you’re both super close and like it could make shit weird and like you’ve known each other for years and they’re out doing stuff you usually do together?” she was rambling and she knew it but it was all spilling and she couldn't dam the flow.  
“Woah. hey, chill. Is this about Equius?” she nodded before making an affirming noise, remembering that he couldn’t see her face.  
“It’s so dumb. He went to a show, a really cool looking show, and he didn’t tell me. We tell each other everything. He didn’t invite me, he hasnt responded to my texts. Kk what if he hates me?”  
She could feel tears brimming in her eyes.   
“Hey, hey breathe for me. Deep breath, that’s it. So you’re crying cause your friend went to a show without you?”  
“First of all, my Best Friend. And secondly, he always invites me. Always. Oh god. What if i did something to make him mad?”  
“Look, Nep, maybe one of his workmates sprung him after and he went with them, and forgot to text you? Or maybe his phone died or something.”  
“He posted it on snapchat idiot. No way his phone is dead. Go check his story.” she heard the sounds of his fingers tapping his screen and a sharp intake of breath and braced herself.  
“Hey Nep, you know what? I think i might want to watch that movie you recommended earlier, the scary one? Maybe we could watch it together? I’ll be at your place in twenty.”   
After hearing the beep signalling she’d been hung up on she crawled onto her bed and curled into a ball. She closed her eyes and tried to take deep breaths.

She picked up her phone and looked at his story, his private one. He was standing with a girl. Her head rested on his shoulder. The dark lipstick matched the print on his cheek. His face was red and sweaty and he was smiling. The caption just had the girl’s username with a blushed emoji. She threw her phone, not caring and curled in on herself. Maybe he was going to replace her.

After what felt like ages, karkat arrived, with their favourite snack foods. He walked into her room, put the snacks on her desk and sat beside her, running his hand over her hair. She grabbed at his hand and pulled it close to her. He simply sat there. They sat in silence before he coughed and she let go, almost like his hand burnt her.   
“Hey, it’s ok. I’m gonna grab the snacks and your laptop ok?” she nodded, moving to make space for him. They sat together, Karkat clinging to her by the end of the movie.  
“I appreciate this kk. You have absolutely no idea.”  
“Hey, I know. It’s ok. You know I’m always here for you.” they’d known each other for a while. Long enough that Karkat had long since dropped the prickle he had with others. They cuddled a little longer, watching more movies till Karkat saw that she’d fallen asleep. He cleared everything away before tucking her into bed and planting a soft peck on her forehead.  
“Goodnight kitten.” he left as quietly as possible, but not before leaving her a glass of water by the bed.


	5. Oh, baby, every morning there are mountains to climb.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast with her sister's suitor followed by a fun little get together with her friends. what mischief will nep get herself into?

She woke up the next morning with a glass of water on her bedside and drank from it. She noticed a distinct lack of her crabbiest of friends. Nepeta let out a soft whine as she stretched before setting her feet on her cold wood floor. She noticed her phone over by her bean bag and picked it up examining the screen. A long jagged crack ran through the screen and she sighed. She tried to turn her phone on but nothing happened so she put it on charge and left it. On her way downstairs she heard her sister’s door open and watched as a lanky tall boy exited. He was wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. He yawned and flashed a smile before signing for the bathroom. She pointed him in the right direction before continuing downstairs and starting on breakfast. Grinning at herself as she pulled her toast out at the right time she jumped as a thin pale arm reached around her, floundering for the coffee pot. She turned, yelping as the toast burnt her fingers and dropped it onto her plate. She moved gingerly out of Kurloz’s way, not wanting to make their guest uncomfortable. He waved at her and she waved back.  
“So, you and my sister huh? What’s going on there mister?” she asked pointedly. She wasn't about to let some goth rock wannabe hurt her sister. He held his hand out flat and shook it.  
“It’s complicated?” he nodded and poured himself a cup of coffee. She sat down at their bench and began eating yher breakfast. She reached into her pocket to grab her phone before remembering that she’d left it upstairs. She ran upstairs to grab it, almost knocking into Meulin. She took her phone back downstairs and browsed social media as she ate. She checked all of her friends instagram posts, liking and commenting when appropriate. She saw that Equius had posted. He stood tallest in the middle of a group, some lanky guy with face paint like a clown to his left, and the same pretty girl from the night before to his right. There was a short boy with a mohawk clinging to the clown guy and she smiled, she couldn’t place his name but they had had classes together the last year of highschool, Travis or something. His older brother had been in her sister’s class. She clicked on the tagged girl’s profile and scrolled through. Her name was Aradia apparently, she was nineteen and an aries. She also had a passion for dead things if all the photos of her brightly stained specimens in jars were anything to go by. She clicked follow instinctively. Wanting to be friends with her friend’s friends. She smiled a little when she’d gotten the notification that she’d been followed back. She dropped a couple likes before closing the app and opening her tumblr. She’d gotten given a whole bunch of requests and was almost overwhelmed. She cleaned up after breakfast and went upstairs to start on the art requests left by followers and anon’s alike. 

She sat up straight, feeling several pops in her spine and smiled. She’d been doing art requests for the entire day and had neglected her phone. She checked it, seeing multiple messages from her friends. She opened Sollux’s first.  
Bee Boy: Hey nep, me and the boy2 were thiinking about maybe haviing a get together toniight. The usual crew ofc. Ju2t gonna be me, you, Dave and kk, eq and maybe aradia, diirk and rezi?  
Nepeta: :33 wow, yeah maybe. I’ll check to see if meu needs anything from me.  
Bee Boy: 2ure 2ure. Iif you need a riide ii can a2k 2triider. He liive2 kiinda clo2e to you ii thiink.  
Nepeta: Np.

After sollux she checked to see what karkat had said.  
Karkitten: HEY, I’M REALLY SORRY ABOUT LEAVING YOU LAST NIGHT, I HAD TO GET SOME SHIT DONE AND THEN HAD WORK THIS MORNING.  
Karkitten: I HOPE YOU’RE FEELING BETTER.  
Karkitten: IF YOU WANT, ME AND THE BOYS ARE ALL PROBABLY GONNA BE HANGING OUT, SAME CREW AS USUAL BLAH BLAH BLAH, LET ME KNOW OK?  
She replied back to him, letting him know she’d be there before checking the text she’d gotten from Equius.

EQ: Hey Nep. I'm sorry for the other night. I was busy, a new friend asked me to go to a show with her and I agreed. I’m sorry I forgot to message you.  
EQ: I hope you’re well, maybe we can hang out later today or later in the week or something?

She left him on read before grabbing one of her sisters bathing suits and getting changed. She pulled a pair of denim shorts over the bottoms and a simple olive cardigan over the top. Slinging a backpack over her shoulder filled with supplies she put on her shoes and was ready to set off. She messaged sollux that she’d be there soon before hopping on her bike and riding over. 

Once at the house she hopped off and wheeled it through the boys back gate. She leaned it against the side of the house. She could hear her friends chatting loudly and the smell of weed wafted over to her. She could hear Sollux talking loudly, his accent mixing weirdly with his lisp. He held a joint in one hand, and a beer bottle in the other. He sipped and smoked as he spoke to his boyfriend, who was laying his head lazily in his lap. She walked up behind him and wrapped him into a hug.  
“Hey bee boy.”  
“Hey Nep.” the Australian smiled at her, before blowing smoke down at his boyfriend.  
“Sup cat girl.” Dave's texan accent was thick, heavy and very much overly exaggerated. She smiled at the blonde before setting her bag down beside the chair and stripping to her bathers. She heard a whistle and glared at Dirk before diving into the pool. She emerged a second later before swimming over to the side, where her crabbiest friend was sat, pants rolled up, feet in the water and concentration stuck firmly in the book he was reading. He looked up at her before smiling and going back to his book. After a while of lazing in the pool, occasionally sharing in the joints Sollux rolled, she lazed on her towel by the edge of the pool, taking in some of the setting sunlight.

A little after the sun had set, Equius arrived, the girl from the gig, Aradia by his side. He walked over to where nepeta had sat herself, leaning on dave as he rambled about music. She listened intently as he spoke till she heard a cough and looked up, her friend towering over her. She tried to get up quickly, her movements slow and clumsy. She stumbled, her body still a little hazy from her high. She felt Equius reach out and steady her and she wrapped her arms around him, breathing in the familiar scent of her best friend.


	6. I’m so guilty man, I stayed in bed like that whole week.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all fun and games until someone loses a nut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's not that long, ive been kinda busy and stuff has gotten in the way.

After being wrapped into her best friend for what seemed like forever, Nepeta let go and crawled into Dave's lap, listening to him ramble some more. His texan accent drowned out whatever it was that Equius and the girl by his side were discussing. After a few more minutes and some complaints from the younger Strider, Nep hopped off of Dave’s lap and went into the kitchen in search of snacks. Rummaging through their cupboard, she found a packet of chips and sat down against the cupboard, digging in. the chips crunched as she tore into them. After finishing them she stood up and stretched, before shoving her head under the tap, drinking like a man stranded in the desert. Having done that, she was now dripping wet from shoulders up.  
“Karkitty! I’m stealing a towel and one of your sweaters!” she yelled before she ran upstairs, careful to not slip. Once in Karkat’s bedroom, a pit stop made to their linen closet first, she sat on his floor, towel drying her hair. She dropped the towel onto the floor and stood, walking over to Karkat’s drawer. It was obviously laundry day recently because all of his shirts and sweaters were folded neatly before being placed in his drawer. She pulled out a black sweater and put it on before setting off downstairs. A few steps before the floor she slipped on water that had dripped from her hair. She blacked out when her head hit the floor with a thunk. 

She woke up later, on the couch, her friends crowded around her and a headache waged war in her skull. She could hear them fussing and she groaned groggily.  
“Thank god you’re alright. What even happened?” Dave asked, perched on his feet low to the ground, eye level to Nepeta.  
“Are you in pain? What happened?” Karkat sounded like he was about to cry.  
“Bahaha, I knew some dumb shit was gonna happen.”  
“Shut the fuck up Sollux.”  
“Geeze AA, chill, she knows I’m kidding. You know I'm kidding right? Blink four times if you know I'm kidding.” Sollux yelped as Aradia reached up and slapped him upside the head.  
“Stop being a prick.”  
Nepeta blinked before looking at her legs. Her head was fuzzy but the pain in her ankle was blaring. She tried to shift, but moving her ankle pushed tears into her eyes. She laid back defeated.  
“I think she hurt her ankle.”  
“WOW! Really? Do you think she hurt her ankle Equius? Really? Is that what you think? God what a fucking genius, what a scholar, get this overgrown git a fucking award holy fuck.” Dave stood up and looked at Karkat.  
“Look crabcatch. I know you’re pissed off and worried but you’re being a primo fucking asshole and you need to cut the fucking shit. Go make yourself more useful than sitting here being an asshole and hovering worriedly, and go get some ice and the rock tape. Don’t look at me like that. Go Karkat before I pull you out of this fucking room.” Dave’s face was as red as his shorts. His shades were pushed up into his hair and he was very obviously glaring at Karkat. Karkat huffed, muttering under his breath before going to get the items requested. Dave watched him leave before turning to face the rest of the group.  
“Hate to see him leave, but god it’s a sight watching him go, anyways I’m sorry for my boyfriend, he gets even more crabby when he’s worried.” he smiled before sitting on the floor. Dirk stood at the end of the couch and took a look at Nepeta’s foot.  
“That looks like a real fucking ouch bro. Nasty ass sprain.” she slumped and dirk shrugged, his shades firmly over his eyes. 

After an icepack and an ankle wrapping, Nepeta was in the arms of her best friend. He walked her out to his truck and laid her down across the back seat before getting and driving.  
“Are we going to yours or mine?” she made a noncommittal grunt before sighing and muttering that he could drop her off home, she’d be fine. He nodded and set off on the way to hers. 

The rumbling of the car underneath her set off thoughts in her brain. She laid with them till the car slowed to a stop. She was home, yay. She was not happy but it was nothing. She pulled Karkat’s sweater sleeves over her hand before pulling herself up. Equius got out of the car silently and pulled the crutches they were borrowing from Dirk and opened her door.  
“Here.” she nodded and slowly pulled herself out of the car. She hissed and pulled her foot up when it hit the floor painfully. Grabbing the crutches she pulled them beneath her and hobbled over to her door. Giving Equius a half hearted wave he didn’t return, she swore under her breath and went inside. 

Giving Meulin the story about what happened, she dragged her sad sorry ass upstairs and flopped onto her bed, letting out a loud fuck as her ankle throbbed to remind her she was injured. She curled up slowly and fell asleep, tears pricking. Her day had been far too much for her.


	7. Yeah I might ghost her,I don't really know her.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding out something kind of crucial to the plot, our favourite bulked up dumb bitch is ready to fix some shit.

After the fiasco that was the night before equius was in his room, on the phone to Aradia. Her voice was soft and gritty. She was talking about her newest project, and how the skull seemingly had weird malformations. He just laid back and listened, his eyes closed, his breathing steady. He thought about texting Nepeta, but she’d become kind of cold and strangely distant. Sometimes it was stressful how clingy she was but he loved it. He loved knowing that no matter what she’d drop everything for him, that she’d do anything for him. He was the same. He adored her. It stung how distant they’d gotten lately and he sighed.  
“Oh, I’m sorry. I went on a rant. I forgot people aren’t usually all that interested in the things I am.” Aradia sounded a little saddened. He apologised and promised he’d call her back, before hanging up.

Calling Nepeta had been the most stressful thing he’d done recently, which didn't make sense. They were so close that sometimes he couldn't tell where he ended and she began. The dial tone seemed to drone on forever till he heard her say hello.  
“Hello! Nep!” he was almost giddy with excitement.  
“Oh, hey Equius.” he stopped. The tone of her voice suggested she was bored, or fed up. He felt like he was under halogen lights, being dissected.  
“Hi, I haven’t seen you around lately, I wanted to hear your voice.” he said, sadness ever present in his voice.  
“I’m fine, nothing you couldn't have gotten from texting.”  
“Oh, Were you busy? Fuck I'm so sorry, I'll call back later.”  
“Yeah, yeah. You do that.” she was being short with him and it hurt. He put his phone on his side table and laid back onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling till his eyes burned before falling asleep.

He woke up stiff the next morning. Getting up once to shower, he returned to his bed. He wasn’t sure why he was so hurt by her rejection. She was just a stupid little girl. She was probably jealous. She probably couldn’t handle it that someone else was getting the attention she wanted. He brushed away his shitty thoughts. He felt horrible for thinking those things. She was his best friend. The girl he wanted by his side forever, through everything they could ever go through. He was a jerk for thinking those things. He texted her an apology, long and sincere. She left him on read. He threw his phone and curled around his pillow, a loud almost animalistic scream tearing through his throat. He laid there, spent. He was tired. So fucking tired. Everything had been so overwhelming, and now the one person he could talk to for hours was pissed at him, and he couldn’t understand what he’d done. He decided to message karkat.  
centaursTesticle:D--> Karkat, i know we don’t talk much but i think nepeta is mad at me.  
He saw karkat typing, stopping, erasing then typing again. He held his breath.  
carcinoGeneticist: SHES REALLY FUCKING PISSED. SHE THINKS YOU HATE HER. LIKE FULL ON DON'T EVEN WANT TO BE ON THE SAME PLANET HATE HER. WHAT’D YOU DO DUMBASS. SHE’S SO COOL AND YOU’RE BEING A PRICK.  
centaursTesticle:D--> I don’t hate her? Like at all. I didn’t realise she felt that way. I thought she hated me. She was really short, and cold on the phone.  
carcinoGeneticist: SHE DOESN'T HATE YOU, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE.  
carcinoGeneticist: SHE’S IN LOVE WITH YOU YOU FUCKING IDIOT. SHE HAS BEEN FOR A WHILE YOU FUCKING DUMB BITCH.  
carcinoGeneticist: WAIT FUCK. I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT. FUCK. I REALLY AM THE WORST PIECE OF SHIT.  
carcinoGeneticist has deleted a message.  
Holy fuck. So she was in love with him. He thought over his feelings regarding her. She was cute, sure. Her button nose and brown eyes that were borderline too big for her face. Her hair, short in the back and long just in front of her ears. She was tan and a head shorter than him and he thought about how he could easily pick her up despite her being too scared of being heavy. She was far from perfect. Her knees covered in scars from scrapes, her palms rough and calloused from many adventures. She was lean and muscular, from climbing anything she could. He’d been called many times to help her get out of trees she’d gotten stuck in.

He messaged her, asking if she had any plans for the weekend, getting a bland response back. He messaged anyone he would have had plans with, telling him he had something on this weekend. He had a plan. Preparing was easier said and done. He went to florist after florist in search of her favourite flowers. Stopping into a family owned florist he looked aground, before settling his eyes on the tall lady behind the counter. She was leaned over, looking at the catalogue in front of her. He approached the counter and coughed into a fist.  
“Excuse me ma’am do you happen to have any catmint?” she looked up at him from her magazine before standing up properly. She was a few inches taller than him but the way she stood suggested she would be the tallest in the room no matter the situation.  
“First of all young man, I'm definitely nowhere near old enough to be called ma’am. Secondly cat mint? Nepeta right? Got a few cats hanging around huh?” She spoke quiet but firm, her voice commanding respect. He nodded before pulling a photo up on his phone.  
“This stuff, I was hoping I could get an arrangement.” she nodded, looking at the photo.  
“Are there any more flowers you want added to the arrangement?”  
“Would it be possible to get babies' breath as well?” she nodded once more.  
“Are we looking for a simple or complex arrangement?”  
“Whichever is the cheapest if I'm honest.” she took down his order and beckoned for him to follow her. Slipping out from behind the counter, he took in the tattoos he hadn’t noticed before. Intricate tattoos wound their way around her arms, the back of her hands covered by an intricate mix of posies and roses. He smiled to himself.  
“They're beautiful.”  
“Hmm?”  
“Your tattoos. They're beautiful.” she smiled at him before stopping in front of a large vase filled with his desired plant. She pulled a handful of stems from the vase before wandering over to the baby's breath. Once prepared she arranged them in a small but pretty vase. She finished quickly, looked at him for confirmation and wrapped the vase.  
“That’ll be eighty for the flowers.” she said, leaning against her bench. He pulled his wallet out and looked around at the paintings that covered the walls.  
“My daughter, Porrim, she did those. My favourite is the blue orchids.” she pointed above him and he turned and looked. Bright blue and green in a simple glass vase. The painting looked like a photo. The colours vibrant against a black background.  
“They’re beautiful.” he handed her the money and she gestured to the vase. He smiled and waved goodbye as he took the vase. He drove carefully home and set them in his room. He had his blinds closed. He misted the flowers before preparing the rest of his grand gesture. He had a cd filled with their favourite music, and a large blue shirt he’d had for a while. He took his favourite blanket and put it in the back of his truck before going back up to his room and doing the same to his other gifts. He texted Nepeta and told her to meet him out front in twenty and drove over.

She stood out the front, her arms crossed and her foot tapping. She looked at the olive watch on her wrist and scowled  
“You’re late.” he frowned. She was wearing a simple pair of shorts and a low cut tank top. Her hair looked a little different.  
“Haircut?” it looked a little shaggier. He liked it. He reached into the back seat and pulled the vase out. Handing it to her, he saw her face light up.  
“I realized I’ve been kind of a jerk lately, and we haven't hung out nearly enough.” she nodded for him to continue.  
“I wanted to apologise.” she smiled. She held up a hand and went inside. She came back a few moments later, empty handed.

“Will you let me make it up to you?”  
“Depends, mister. You got anything more to bribe me with?” he nodded and smiled at her.  
“Come on, we haven't gone on an adventure in forever.” she climbed into his truck and he got in beside her. He reversed into the road and they drove off in the general direction of the ocean.


	8. Bones, blood and teeth erode.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is it boys. the moment we've been waiting for.

She pulled her knees up against her chest. The engine purred between their silence. She looked out the windshield as the lights slowly flickered past. She couldn't think about how long they’d been driving but the sky had taken a navy tone. She tapped her fingers against her shins as equius reached and fiddled with his radio. He played their song. She remembered it word for word. She sang softly under her breath, not noticing as Equius did the same. He drove, his hands strong on the steering wheel. She watched him, his face. He could feel her eyes on him and certainly couldn’t help it when red slowly rose under his skin. She looked away and peered out the window, houses slowly giving away to storefronts, giving away to vacant blocks to just straight grassy hills. She wound down the window. The cold air washed over her face. It stung at her and she embraced it. The smell of salt in the air filled her with a new kind of hope. She shivered. He coughed before gesturing with his shoulder to the back seat. She looked behind her seat and saw the blanket he’d laid over the seat. On top of it sat her favorite jumper of all the ones he owned. She reached back, almost climbing over her seat to reach it. Her fingers grasped the fabric and she pulled harshly towards herself. The jumper in her hands pulled towards herself. Wriggling in the seat belt she pulled the sweater over herself. The sound of cars made only background noise. She perked up when she could hear waves crashing. Looking through the windshield once more, the colors of the sky and ocean almost matching. The car stopped and nepeta leaped out. She took off running towards the beach. Jumped short curbs and almost gliding over pavement. Her foot met sand and she was sent flying through the air. She twisted half way and landed almost painfully on her side. 

He ran over to her, a little scared. He saw her lying on her back. He stood over her, a strong sweaty hand held out for her. He felt her hand in his and he pulled sharply. She was yanked into his arms. He almost cradled her till she began trying to wriggle from his hold. He let her down and her bare feet left imprints that beckoned for him to follow her. He ran after her, the wind pulling his hair back for him. She was at the edge of the water when he finally caught up to her. She was perched, looking down at the sand. Small creatures scuttled around and she watched with bright keen eyes. He smiled as he sat himself beside her. The damp sand sticking to him. His legs extended, ankles being sprayed by the ocean. It was cold and he was glad. He’d suffer through any cold just to spend his time beside her. 

She looked at him. He looked at her. She leaned into him. He pulled her into him. He looked down as she looked up and their lips met. She kissed him gently, tentative. He kissed her like the warmth her lips provided were a log and his were a hungry fire.


End file.
